Thermostatically operated valve



T. B. LEGEZA THERMOSTATICALLY OPERATED VALVE Oct. 29, 1957 Filed Aug. 6, 1954 0F THERMAL ELEMENT W mfiui wqv i a Am a w... m l A t W w /w/ w I At m w ace THERMQSTATICALLY OPERATED VALVE This invention relates to improvements in thermostatically operated valves particularly adapted for use in the cooling systems for internal combustion engines.

A principal object of my invention is to provide an improved thermostatically operated valve arranged with a view toward utmost simplicity in construction and efficiency in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a thermostatically operated butterfly valve in which the number of parts of the valve is reduced by carrying the thermostatic element in the valve.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a shaftless butterfly valve type of thermostatic valve in which the thermostatic element is loosely carried within the valve and reacts against the valve upon a predetermined temperature rise, to open the same against a biasing spring.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a thermostaticaly operated butterfly valve particularly adapted for use in cooling systems of internal combustion engines wherein a disk-type thermostat is contained in the valve and has oppositely acting expansible disks extended 'by the thermally expansible material of the thermostat upon predetermined temperature rises, to pivot the valve to an open position and maintain the valve in such a position within a predetermined temperature range. A still further and important object of my invention is to provide a thermostatically operated valve for the cooling system of an internal combustion engine in which the valve pivots to control the flow of cooling fluid through a port opening in the valve casing and has a cuplike recess therein, relatively loosely containing a disk-type of thermostatic element having parallel spaced oppositely acting disks, one of which reacts against the Valve and the other reacts against the valve casing to open the valve against its spring bias upon predetermined temperature rises.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the cylinder head and cooling conduit of an internal combustion engine, and showing a thermostatically operated valve constructed in accordance with my invention associated therewith for controlling the passage of cooling fluid through the cooling conduit;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the valve shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line III-III of Figure 2.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, I have shown in Figure 1 a thermostatically operated valve having a flanged valve casing 11. A flange 12 of the valve casing 11 abuts a gasket 13 on a cylinder head 14 of an internal combustion engine. The valve 10 is held in position within an outlet duct 16 in the water jacket of the cylinder head 14, to control the passage of cooling fluid through an outlet duct or con- 2,811,313 Patented Oct. 29, 1957 2 duit 17, secured to the cylinder head in engagement with the gasket 13 and also engaging the top surfaceof the flange 12, to maintain the valve casing 11 in engagement therewith.

The casing 11 may be made from a metallic stamping, stamped from a sheet or plate of any suitable ,material and lending itself to large scale economical production. Said casing is shown in Figures 2 and 3 as having a flat annular upper portion 19, the inner margin of which defines a valve or port opening 20. The valve casing 11 also has an outer annular wall 21 connecting the annular portion 19 with the flange 12, and has a yoke or bridge 23 extending thereacross in vertically spaced relation with respect to the flat annular portion 19 of the valve casing; The bridge 23 forms a connecting member for a tension spring 24, biasing the valve 10 into a closed position, and also forms a mounting for a reaction link 25 having bearing engagement with a thermo-.

static element 27, effective to open the valve by the reactionagainst' said reaction link upon predetermined temperature rises of the cooling fluid, as will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds.

The valve 19 may likewise be made from a metallic stamping of a'type which may be economically manufactured in suitable press equipment and comprises two laterally oflset semi-circular wing portions 29 and 30 having a central inverted generally cup-like receptacle 31 formed therein to receive the thermostatic element 27. The Wing portions 29 and 30 are shown as being joined together by intermediate sections 32, 32 extending generally at'right angles to the wing portions 29 and 30, and of a height determined by the thickness ofthe annular portion 19 of the valve casing 11 so that the wing portion 29 will be disposed on the underside of the annular flat portion 19 of the valve casing 11 and the wing portion 36 is disposed on the top side of the annular flat portion 19 when the valve is closed.

Two ears 33, 33 are herein shown as extending inwardly of the margin of the port opening 20 in the casing 11 and as forming diametrically opposed slots therebetween, to receive the right angledwall portions 32, 32 of the valve 10 and form a pivot for the valve.

' The valve 10 is also shown as having two ears 35, 35 extending oppositely from the wing portion 29 laterally beyond the margin of the port opening 20 and abutting the bottom of the flat annular portion 19 of the valve casing, to come intoengagement therewith upon complete opening of the valve, to retain the valve in position. The spring 24 is shown as being hooked through an apertured portion 36 of the semi-annular wing portion 30 of the valve, to bias the valve into a closed position.

The receptacle 31 for the thermostatic element 27 is shown as having a wall 37 which in the present instance forms a top wall of the receptacle. The wall 37 is shown as having a central indented portion 39 extending within the receptacle and facing the open end thereof and forming a rocking bearing area for a disk or diaphragm 40 of the thermostatic element 27, and accommodating limited rocking movement of said thermostatic element with respect to the receptacle 31.

' The thermostatic element 27 may be of aform similar to that shown and described in application Serial No. 399,947, filed by Samuel G. Eskin on December 23, 1953, and entitled Thermal Responsive Unit. This thermostatic element, as shown, has a generally cylindrical casing 41, one end of which is closed by the diaphragm or metallic disk 41) sealed to a shouldered end thereof by a gasket 43, retained to said disk by a wall portion 44 of the casing 41 of reduced cross-sectional area from the cross-sectional area of the wall of the casing 41, and spun over said gasket. The opposite end of the casing 41 is closed by a diaphragm or metallic disk 45 abutting 1 3 an opposite shouldered portion of the casing 41 and retained thereto by a reduced cross-sectional area wall portron 46 spun over a gasket 47 engaging an outer side of the metallic disk 45.

The diaphragms or disks 40 and 45 retain a thermally expansible material 49 within the casing 41 which may, by way of example, be of metallic wool, such as a copper or aluminum wool having a fusible material filling the spaces therebetween and expansible on fushion, and being fusible in the operating range of the device. One form of fusible material may be any of the various forms of micro-crystalline waxes.

Other thermally expansible materials which may be used are crystalline materials having a plastic or elastic bind ing material in solution and having finely divided particles of a solid heat conducting material dispersed through and coated with the solution, so that the finely divided solid heat conducting particles are bound together by the binder into a solid body. A material of this type is described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,259,846, so need not herein be described further.

The metallic disks or diaphragms 40 and 45 may be made of a thin stainless steel or of a spring steel, or from a Phosphor bronze or any other suitable material, and flex outwardly as the thermally expansible material 49 reaches its fusion temperature, and return to their distended positions shown in Figure 3 by the resiliency of the disks.

The disk 45 is shown as having a yoke 51 welded or otherwise secured to the center thereof and depending therefrom and having a downwardly opening slot 52 therein, receiving opposite ends of a pivot pin 53 on the inner end of the reaction link 25.

r The reaction link 25 is shown as having a yoke 54 formed integrally with its upper end and extending along opposite sides of the yoke 51. The pivot pin 53 is mounted at its ends in said yoke. The lower end of the reaction link 25 has a reduced diameter nib 55 extending therefrom and fitting within an apertured portion 56 of an inclined portion 57 'of the bridge 23. The inclined portion 57 of the bridge 23 is inclined perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the link 25 to support the link 25 in the general position shown in Figure 3, but to accommodate limited rocking movement of said link with respect to the bridge 23 during valve opening movement.

In assembling the valve the thermostatic element 27 is merely placed within the receptacle 31 with the diaphragm 40 thereof in engagement with the bearing nib or projection 39. The reduced cross-section nib 55 of the reaction link 25 may 'be placed through the apertured portion 56 of the inclined face 57 of the bridge 23, and

' the pivot pin 53 may be placed within the downwardly opening slot 52 of the yoke 51 to connect the reaction link to the thermostatic element and take the reaction thereof on the bridge 23, and effect pivotal movement of the valve upon extension of the disks 40 and 45 with respect to the casing 41 as the thermostatic material 49 reaches its fusion temperature.

'When the reaction link is in place, the spring 24 may then be hooked to the bridge 23 at one end and through the apertured portion 36 of the annular wing portion at its opposite end, as shown in Figure 3.

It may be seen from the foregoing that as the thermally expansible material 49 is subjected to heat such as the cooling fluid of an internal combustion engine and the.

heat of the cooling fluid approaches the operating range of the thermostatic member 27, which may be the fusion range ofithe fusible material, that the fusible material will expand and extend the diaphragms or with respect to the casing 41 as indicated by broken lines in Figure 3. This will exert a thrust reaction on the pin 53 of the reaction link 25 at a point oifset from the pivot ofthe valve, and pivot the valve to the open position shown .inFigure 3.. Upon reductions in temperature the diaphragms 40 and 45 will tend to contract the thermally expansible material within the casing 41 of their own resiliency and accommodate the spring 24 to pivot the valve to its biased closed position.

It should be understood, however, that the spring 24 biasing the valve 10 into a closed position, exerts forces on the diaphragms through the valve, tending to return the diaphragms to the unstressed or retracted positions shown in Figure 3.

It may further be seen that I have provided a simplified form of thermostatically operated valve particularly adapted for the cooling system of an internal combustion engine in which the thermostatic element is loosely carried by the valve and is held within the valve by the return spring for the valve and the reaction link, against which the thermostatic element reacts to move the valve to its open position, and that the valve may very simply be assembled or dismantled without the use of tools and that the thermostatic element may readily be replaced where it is desired to change the operating temperature at which'the valve opens. V

It will be understood that modifications and variations of the present invention may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

l claim as my invention:

l. In a thermostatic'valve, a valve casing having a flat annular portion, the inner margin of which defines a port opening, a shaftless butterfly valve pivotally carried on said casing and engaging half of one side of said fiat annular portion and half of the other side of said flat annular portion for closing said port opening, said valve having a receptacle formed integrally therewith having a generally cylindrical wall and opening in a downstream direction and closed on the upstream side of said valve, a spring connected between said casing and valve and biasing said valve into a closed position, a thermostatic element slidably'carried in said receptacle and comprising a casing having a cylindrical wall. slidably engageable with'the wall of said receptacle and containing a fusible thermally expansible material and having spaced inner and outer expansible disks retaining the thermally expansible material within said casing, the inner of said disks reacting against the closed end of said receptacle and moving said thermostatic element outwardly with respect to said receptacle upon/increases in temperature, a bridge extending from said casing across the open end portion of said'receptacle in spaced relation with respect to the other of said expansible disks, and a reaction link having pivotal connection with the other of said expansible disks at one end and having pivotal engagement with said bridge at its oppositeend, to effect opening of said valve against said spring upon fusion of the thermally expansible material contained within said casing and expansible movement of said disks and slidable movement of said thermal element along said receptacle toward the open end portion thereof. w

2. in a thermostatic valve, a valve casing having a port, opening leading therethrough, a butterfly valve pivotally supported by said casing for controlling theflow of fluid through said port opening, a bridge extending across said casing and spaced in a downstream direction with respect to said port'opening, a spring connectedbetween said bridge and valve and biasing said valve into a closed position, said valve having a receptacle -therein having a cylindrical inner wall, a closed end wall spaced downstream of said port opening and opening in an upstream direction, a bearing projection extending inwardly from said closed end wall within said receptacle, a thermostatic element movably mounted within said receptacle and havinga casing having a cylindrical wall slidably engageablewith the cylindrical wall of said receptable and containing a fusible thermally expansible material, spaced flexible metallic diaphragms closing opposite ends of said casing, one of said diaphragms having engagementwith said projection, and a reaction link pivotally connected between said bridge and the other of said diaphragms and reacting against said bridge and diaphragm to move 2,070,751 Reichel Feb. 16, 1937 said valve in a valve opening direction upon increases in 2,102,201 Durant Dec. 14, 1937 temperature suflicient to fuse the thermally expansible ma- 2,710,146 Drapeau June 7, 1955 terial contained within said casing and effect expansible 2,742,051 Chanda et a1 Apr. 17, 1956 movement of said disks with respect to send casing. 5 FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited in the file of this patent 11,632 Great i i 1887 621,261 Great Britam Apr. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,607,745 Palm Nov.23, 1926 10 

